Lancaster News Flash

Greetings Lancaster Learning Community,

As we come to the close of this school year, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the warm welcome and unwavering support you have shown me during my first year as principal at Lancaster Elementary. This year has been an incredible journey filled with many successes, growth, and a strengthened sense of community.

Celebrating Our Achievements:

• Student Progress: Our students have made significant academic strides, showcasing their dedication and enthusiasm for learning. From excelling in core subjects to participating in creative projects, their hard work has truly paid off.

• Extracurricular Success: The introduction of new clubs and activities has been a highlight. Our students have eagerly participated in programs like the robotics team, ESports, Student Council, Book Club, and cheerleading, displaying their diverse talents and interests.

• Community Events: Events such as the Trick the Halls, Winter Showcase, and Science Literacy Expo, Grandparents Day, and Veterans' Day have brought our Lancaster community closer together. Your involvement and support made these events memorable and successful, creating cherished memories for all.

• Professional Development: Our dedicated teachers have engaged in professional development and fishbowls to enhance their teaching practices, ensuring that we provide the best possible education for our little Aztec scholars. Their commitment to excellence is evident in the dynamic and nurturing classroom environments they create all year long.

As we prepare for the next school year, we are excited to build on this year’s achievements. We remain committed to academic excellence, expanding extracurricular opportunities, and fostering an inclusive and supportive school culture. We are planning new initiatives and programs to further enrich our students’ educational experiences.

Your support and involvement have been integral to our success this year. Whether you volunteered at events, supported your child’s learning at home, or contributed in other ways, your efforts have made a difference. Thank you for being active partners in your child's education.

As we enter the summer break, I encourage you to spend quality time with your children, explore new activities, and enjoy the season. Summer is also a wonderful time to nurture a love for reading and learning through fun and engaging activities.

Thank you once again for an incredible year. I am honored to be part of such a wonderful school community and look forward to all that we will achieve together in the future.

Wishing you a safe, restful, and enjoyable summer! 🌟 #Grateful4AztecParents #MemorableAztecMoments

Remember, Lancaster loves you! 💙🤍💙

Your proud principal,

Ms. Wittke

#OneSchoolOneTeam

#AztecSquad

#AztecsMakingADifference

1. NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day - Monday, May 27

2. Senior Walk - Tuesday, May 28 @ 8:00 a.m.

3. Kinder Awards - Tuesday, May 28 @ 8:30 a.m.

4. 1st Grade Awards - Tuesday, May 28 @ 10:30 a.m.

5. 2nd Grade Awards - Tuesday, May 28 @ 1:00 p.m.

6. 3rd Grade Awards - Wednesday, May 29 @ 10:30 a.m.

7. 4th Grade Awards - Wednesday, May 29 @ 1:00 pm.

8. School Field Day - Thursday, May 30 (volunteers welcomed)

9. First Annual Kickball Game - 5th Grade Students vs. Teaches & Staff - Friday, May 31 @ 8:30

10. School's Out for Summer! - Friday, May 31 @11:30 (Half Day for students)

11. Attendance Matters: Please help us by making sure your child makes it to school every day, unless they are ill and cannot attend. Schedule appointments after school when possible, so that students are not interrupted in their instruction during the day. Please be prompt in dropping off your child at school before 7:30 AM. We thank you for your help!

Math Bee, butterfly release, SLIME day, Learning Engagement EXPO, 5th Grade Celebration, PK Graduation, Oh my! 💙

Let's stay in the green! Parents please help us with our daily attendance campus goal of 96% or higher on daily attendance. 😀

Aztec Attendance challenge to promote and celebrate individual daily attendance. Students will be rewarded by getting FREE DRESS every Tuesday, if the students are present, no early pull-outs and zero tardies for the entire week.

Teachers will notify students and parents every Monday, of students eligible to wear Jeans. Please do not send your child in free dress unless the teacher has notified you and/or the student.

Aztec Class Attendance Challenge Friendly Competition: One class in each grade level will earn bragging rights and display the AZTEC Attendance Traveling Trophy for having the highest attendance percentage for the week. We loves our Aztec students, so parent please help us by bringing your students to school everyday!

Congratulations to Ms. Martinez's class for having the highest attendance percentage for the week of May 13th-May 17th.

ABSENCES

Students who are not in class when attendance is taken will be counted tardy or absent. The parent must contact the school by phone, in writing, or in person to explain the reason for every absence within 72 hours or sooner of the student’s absence to avoid loss of class work credit and possibly truancy court referral. Attendance staff will document every contact parent/guardian makes with the school, whether absences will be excused or unexcused.

EXCUSED & UNEXCUSED ABSENCES

Excused absences are legitimate days of absence necessitated by personal illness, death in the immediate family, or a student teen parent taking her/his child to the doctor. Documentation is required when students are absent due to a doctor's appointment, a court date, or other official business.

If a student is absent without school permission or permitted exception, that absence will be counted as an unexcused absence. In this case the student may receive a zero for all work missed and parents will be notified, if necessary, an attendance warning will be issued, charges will be filed against parents to enforce the compulsory school attendance law if absences of this nature persist. See Reg. FE-R.

90% Rule for Promotion

A student must be present 90% of the days the class is offered in order to be promoted to the next grade level. Except as provided by state law, all absences, whether excused or unexcused, must be considered in determining whether a student has attended the required percentage of days.

TARDIES

Students must be in their classrooms and ready to receive instruction when the bell to begin class rings at 7:45 a.m.. An elementary school student who arrives after the 7:45 a.m. tardy bell rings will be counted tardy for the day. It is the responsibility of the parent or legal guardian to contact the school before the second hour of instruction by telephone, in writing, or in person to verify the reason for the tardy (unless a doctor’s appointment, or has been approved as a school activity or business on campus is documented).

• CAMPUS TARDY POLICY: Students who accumulate 4 tardies will be assigned lunch detention by administration on the 4th day.

LEAVING CAMPUS

For students in elementary a parent or otherwise authorized adult must come to the office and sign the student out. The adult person signing the child out must show proof of identification prior to releasing the child. Once the identity is verified, a campus representative will send for the student and bring him or her to the office. For safety purposes and stability of the learning environment, we cannot allow anyone other than authorized school personnel to go to the classroom or any other area unescorted to pick up the student. Excessive requests for permission for students to leave early will be monitored by the campus administration and conferences with the parent or guardian will be scheduled to resolve the situation. The parent will sign an early dismissal card from the attendance office in accordance with school procedure. Upon the student’s return, the student must report to the attendance office to be admitted to class. The last opportunity to pick up students during the school day will be at 2:10pm.

Every person on our campus contributes to the growth of all our Aztec scholars. Help us recognize those that have made an imprint on the heart of your child or even yours by telling us all about it. We will recognize our faculty/staff member in the Aztec Spotlight for the week.

Click on the button below to share a positive comment about any of our faculty/staff. We can't wait to hear from you!

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do we wait for the school day to begin?

Parents who arrive before student entrance into the building is allowed at 7:10 will wait outside the drop off designated areas with their child. If possible, it is suggested that you drop off your child by car at the designated area in front of the Aztec Cafeteria.

What do I do if we are late to school?

If late to school, your child can enter through the front office. Please ring the bell on the screen, let the front office staff know your child’s name, that they are late and the reason. Your child will be let into the building, given a tardy slip and escorted to class if in PK and sent to class if 2nd-5th; only the student will be let into the building. We ask that tardies do not become habitual as students miss breakfast and instructional time.

What do I do if I am picking up early?

Please ring the bell, have your valid I.D. ready, you will be asked by front office staff to show your valid ID and reason for the pick-up. They will then retrieve the student and meet you at the entrance of the building to fill out the sign out documentation. You will wait outside the vuilsinf in front of the office until your child comes to the front office area. We ask that pick-ups be kept at a minimum to maximize learning instructional time. The last opportunity to pick up your student during the day will be 2:10 pm.

What if my child goes to an after school program (ACE 21st Century)?

Your child will be picked up by the respective after school program personnel and escorted to the cafeteria at the end of day. Please ask the corresponding program for their policies and procedures for dismissal.

What if I cannot pick-up my child at dismissal time due to work, school etc.?

All children need to be picked up on non-tutoring days at 2:45 and on tutoring days at 3:30. There is no personnel to care for students once they are no longer in an academic setting. Please make arrangements with after school care.

Can my child play on the O.L.E.s before/after school?

Students are not allowed to play on the Outside Learning Environments before or after school as there are no monitors available to watch these areas at those times.

Thank you for working with us to ensure that Lancaster's drop off and pick up times are safe and happy. We appreciate your support.

• Visitor policy will be enforced. Visitor must have a valid ID prior to entering the campus and background screening will be conducted through the Hall Pass System.

• Volunteers must be cleared on a daily basis through the campus Hall Pass System and must be registered as an active volunteer through the District Affairs office; this includes field trips.

• Due to increased security and safety protocols, we will not be allowing parents to drop off lunches during the day for students. Students need to bring their lunches with them in the morning. We will only allow if the student forgot their lunch in the car, but not habitual drop off of lunches. (ALL students receive free lunch in our cafeteria, therefore students will always have a meal available to them.)

• Birthday Celebrations: Will take place during the students lunch time. If the student will be bringing cupcakes or any snacks for the celebration, they must be brought in with the student during morning drop off.

• Emergency preparedness (drills) activities will be conducted throughout the school year.

Hello Parents,

Just a few more weeks and school is out. Here is a few end of school year tips that might help with the transitions coming up:

1. Create a Countdown Calendar:

With the last day of school quickly approaching, it can be easy to let some assignments and deadlines slip away. You can keep yourself and your child on track by creating a countdown calendar. Have your child mark all of the upcoming tests, activities, and events coming up. With a countdown calendar, you can plan celebrations and family time while your child remains on track with their schoolwork.

2. Celebrate Accomplishments:

As you get closer to the last few days, take the time to celebrate their accomplishments and the hard work they’ve put in. Spending time with your young learner can give them the confidence boost they need to finish the academic year strong. Identify the small steps your child takes to complete tasks and visualize all the work they’re doing.

3. Don't Fall out of Routine: If you start slowing down, your child will, too. When changing their routine, they may miss critical due dates, forget to complete coursework, or feel stressed and disorganized.

4. Pick a Summer Reading List: Find a fun reading list and challenge your student to finish as many as possible before the summer ends.

5.Get Outdoors: Make sure you encourage your child to get outside to relieve stress and stay physically active. They wont have PE for awhile, so keep up a physical routine for them.

More tips to come. Have a fabulous week parents.

Respectfully,

Susan Rivera Espindola

School Counselor

sespindola@yisd.net

434-3403

Naming Letters Accurately and Fluently

Please click on the '44 SOUNDS' picture to open the link.

Please click on the 'SONIDOS INICIALES' picture to open the link.

Please make sure to help your children to bring back their library books from home. All books need to be returned by May 22.

1. Your child can always use Sora on any computer. https://soraapp.com/welcome/login/320467/ils/yisdtx/form/Ysleta%20ISD

2. You can always use the links on the library website. https://aztecslibrary.weebly.com/

3. You can always go to the public library. https://www.elpasolibrary.org/

4. Not in the city? You can also use the county library's resources. https://iluminalibrary.com/

Be Safe and Healthy

YISD Sick Day Guidelines Highlights:

• Students need to be fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication before returning to school
• If the student appears to have pink eye, please take them to your health provider for further assessment; the student is able to return to school if they are on an antibiotic eye drop/ointment treatment
• If the student has an uncontrolled cough, it may necessitate a visit to the doctor

Please take a few moments to review YISD Sick Day Guidelines.

Finally, please do not send your student with any over-the-counter or prescription medications, including cough drops, eye drops, or pills of any kind. If you have any questions regarding medications, please contact me.

The Comprehensive Care Center is now located at Central Office, 9600 Sims Dr., on the 1st floor by the east side entrance. Student Health Services is located right next to the clinic. Parents please call the number on the flyer below to schedule an appointment. All services are free to students enrolled at YISD and their younger siblings. Vaccines can only be administered to those who do not have insurance or Medicaid.

As always, let's stay healthy and BE PRESENT every day!

Principal - Zeila Wittke (915) 434-3401

Assistant Principal - Evonne Rodriguez (915) 434-3402

Counselor - Susan Espindola (915) 434-3403

Attendance Clerk - Isela Ramirez (915) 434-3410

Nurse - Christine Cisneros (915) 434-3411